If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It
If you’re a sushi lover, chances are you’ve either been to or heard of this place. Since starting this blog, we have been to many sushi restaurants in LA, the Bay Area, and even in the mecca of Japanese fish trade, Tsukiji Fish Market. Sugarfish (specifically the one in Pasadena), however, is a place that holds a very special place in our hearts, because this is where we went on our very first date and bonded over our undying love for all things food.
Sugarfish by Sushi Nozawa, has a bunch of locations in Los Angeles and one in New York. Before you poopoo Sugarfish and give it a big side-eye for being a chain, you must know this: it works.
They’re known for their Nozawa "Trust Me" option on their menu which is essentially a 10-course omakase sushi meal with the same items served every time plus one daily special that rotates. You can expect to enjoy the staples: tuna, salmon, halibut, albacore, and snapper in addition to a tuna and blue crab handroll.
Their tuna sashimi which is what you start with after the edamame is consistently delicious. The dish consists of small pieces of tuna dressed in a delightful ponzu sauce topped with green onions, which is always a nice way to start the experience.
After the tuna sashimi, they bring out a beautiful minimal plate of Albacore and Salmon. The salmon is topped with sesame seeds which is a unique touch that totally works. The Albacore is dressed in a similar sauce as the tuna course and it is so tasty.
Next is perhaps their prettiest plate, consisting of: Yellowtail, Hirame, and Snapper. It’s a beautiful palette of translucent whites that are each mouth-wateringly delicious.
The meal ends with two hand rolls: tuna and blue crab. The crispiness of the hand rolls are always a nice way to end a delicious meal. Make sure you eat them right away or the seaweed will get soggy fast!
Unlike some traditional sushi restaurants which have a constantly evolving menu based on availability of certain fish and the mood of the sushi chef, Sugarfish only serves dishes that they have perfected. They also take a more environmentally conscious approach in upholding the sustainability of their fish and shellfish sourcing. Sugarfish is unique in their “trust me” experience in that they serve the same thing consistently; only one item ever changes. The flavor and temperature of their rice is also non-traditional in that they are heavy handed with the rice vinegar and serve their rice slightly warm. The quality and service is extremely consistent; you know exactly what you’re getting every time you’re there. It veers on the pricier side ($42 for the Nozawa Omakase) but the quality is high and consistent so you can expect to have a dank experience every time you dine here.
We often try to compare Sugarfish with other traditional sushi restaurants; however, the fact is, you can’t compare Sugarfish to other sushi restaurants because it isn’t like other sushi restaurants. It’s a sushi restaurant that does a seamless job of respecting tradition while at the same time, breaking conventions.
Sugarfish
146 S Lake Ave #108
Pasadena, CA 91101
